Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to liquid dispensers, and in particular to devices for dispensing cleaning and freshening liquids from under the rim of a toilet bowl.
2. Description of the Related Art
Toilet bowls require care to prevent the buildup of unsightly deposits, to reduce odors and to prevent bacteria growth. Traditionally, toilet bowls have been cleaned, deodorized and disinfected by manual scrubbing with a liquid or powdered cleaning and sanitizing agent. This task has required manual labor to keep the toilet bowl clean.
In order to eliminate the manual scrubbing, various automatic continuous cleaning toilet bowl cleaning products have been proposed. One type of product comprises a solid block or solid particles of a cleansing and freshening substance that is suspended from the rim of a toilet bowl in a container that is placed in the path of the flushing water. U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,670 shows an example of this type of toilet bowl cleaning system. Typically, a portion of the solid block is dissolved in the flush water with each flush, and the flush water having dissolved product is dispensed into the toilet bowl for cleaning the bowl. These solid block toilet cleaning systems have certain disadvantages such as a short lifetime and a decline in the amount of cleaning and deodorizing agents released into the toilet bowl as the solid block deteriorates.
Other automatic, continuous cleaning, toilet bowl cleaning systems use a liquid cleaning agent that is dispensed into a toilet bowl. For example, European Patent Application Nos. EP-0538957 and EP-0785315, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,178,564 B1 and 6,230,334 B1, and PCT International Publication Nos. WO 99/66139 and WO 99/66140 all disclose cleansing and/or freshening devices capable of being suspended from the rim of a toilet bowl for the purpose of introducing liquid active substances from a bottle into the flushing water with each flush. Typically, the liquid active substances may include one of more of the following: surfactants (such as a mixture of an anionic surfactant and a nonionic surfactant), solvents, sequesterants, pH controllers, thickeners, preservatives, fragrances, and dyes. In these under the toilet rim devices, the liquid active substances are delivered from a reservoir to a wicking device (e.g., a dispensing plate or porous mass) that is supported by a base that is suspended from the toilet rim. The device is suspended from the toilet rim such that the flow of flush water from the toilet contacts the wicking device during a flush. The flush water carries the liquid active substances that are on the wicking device into the toilet bowl to clean and freshen the toilet.
One problem with the known under the toilet rim liquid cleansing and/or freshening devices is that these units do not generally have the design flexibility needed in order to fit the wide variety of toilet types and sizes available worldwide. In particular, these devices may not be configured such that the toilet flush water is able to contact the wicking device upon flushing. For example, when certain under the toilet rim liquid cleansing and/or freshening devices are suspended from toilets having wide rims, the wicking device is not arranged underneath the flush water path which typically is adjacent the inner wall of the toilet bowl. As a result, the flush water cannot contact the wicking device and carry the liquid active substances that are on the wicking device into the toilet bowl to clean and freshen the toilet.
Two solutions to this problem have been proposed. In WO 99/66140, the under the toilet rim cleansing and freshening device includes a movable wicking device that can slide out such that the wicking device is positioned in the path of the flush water when the device is mounted in a toilet having a wide rim. When used in a toilet having a narrower rim, the wicking device is slid back into the device. While this device is very effective, it requires specialized connecting means on the mounting base and the wicking device. This specialized connecting means may increase manufacturing costs. U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,334 B1 proposes another solution wherein the mounting structure of the under the toilet rim cleansing and freshening device includes a foldable plate-like element that extends outward from the mounting structure. When the device is suspended from the toilet rim, the foldable plate-like element is supported by the inner wall of the toilet bowl. While this device provides advantages when used with toilet bowls having a wide rim, the extra foldable plate-like element cannot be removed or moved into a non-obtrusive position when used on narrower toilet rims that do not require an extension element. As a result, this device may misdirect flush water away from the wicking device (and the liquid active substances contained thereon) when used with narrower toilet rims. In addition, it has been discovered that the performance of under the toilet rim liquid cleansing and/or freshening devices can be improved when the wicking device is inclined downward toward the toilet bowl. The foldable plate-like element that extends outward from the mounting structure of the device in U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,334 B1 makes it impossible to introduce an advantageous incline into the wicking device when the device is mounted on a toilet rim.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved device that can dispense quantities of cleaning and freshening liquids from under the rim of a toilet bowl during a flush. In particular, there is a need for an under the toilet rim liquid cleansing and/or freshening device that includes an extension plate that may be added to the device such that the toilet flush water may be collected and directed over a wicking device regardless of the toilet configuration thereby effectively washing the cleaning and freshening liquids off the wicking device and into the toilet bowl. Furthermore, there is a need for an under the toilet rim liquid cleansing and/or freshening device that includes an extension plate that may be added to the device such that the wicking device is inclined downwardly toward the inner wall of the toilet bowl when installed on the toilet rim thereby optimizing device performance.
The foregoing needs are met by a dispensing device according to the invention in which a flow of water during a toilet flush is used to dispense toilet bowl treatment liquids into a toilet bowl. The dispensing device includes a bottle, a base, means for suspending the base from a rim of a toilet bowl, a wicking device, and an extension plate. The bottle holds a liquid, and has a mouth and a closure for covering the mouth. The base holds the bottle, and has a piercing post that is suitable for opening the closure of the bottle. The wicking device is supported by the base, and is suitable to convey the liquid from the piercing post to a dispensing position on the wicking device. The extension plate is removably secured to the wicking device, and is dimensioned such that the extension plate is positioned within the flow of water during a toilet flush and such that at least a portion of the flow of water is directed onto the dispensing position of the wicking device during a toilet flush.
In another embodiment of the invention, the extension plate is removably secured to the base, and is dimensioned such that the extension plate is positioned within the flow of water during a toilet flush and such that at least a portion of the flow of water is directed onto the dispensing position of the wicking device during a toilet flush.
The wicking device of a dispensing device according to the invention may comprise any number of different wicking structures including a dispensing plate having an upper surface including at least one feed channel in fluid communication with the piercing post of the base, a plate with holes formed therein, or a porous pad.
The removable extension plate can be secured to the wicking device or the base by a snap fit engagement. The removable extension plate can also be secured to the wicking device or the base by inserting an edge of the wicking device or an edge of the base in a channel in an inner wall of the extension plate. In one form, the removable extension plate is dimensioned and secured to the wicking device or the base such that the wicking device is inclined downwardly with respect to an inner wall of the toilet bowl when the dispenser is installed on the rim of the toilet bowl. The removable extension plate may include an upwardly extending rim at a perimeter thereof to assist in the collection and distribution of toilet flush water. Preferably, the extension plate is fixed against rotational movement with respect to the wicking device or the base when secured to the wicking device or base. Most preferably, the extension plate is fixedly positioned in the same plane as the wicking device.
The removable extension plate provides the design flexibility such that an existing under the toilet rim liquid cleansing and freshening device can be modified in order to fit the wide variety of toilet types and sizes on the worldwide market. This allows for under the rim cleaning of differing toilet types and sizes without the need for numerous specialized under the toilet rim liquid cleaning device configurations for each toilet. The removable extension plate can be secured to an existing under the toilet rim liquid cleansing device in order to expand the fit of the existing device into the vast majority of toilets in the market globally. By adding the removable extension plate, the toilet flush water can be collected and directed over the wicking device thereby effectively washing the cleaning/freshening liquid off the wicking device. Toilets where the wicking device was not in the flow of toilet flush water (thereby rendering the under the toilet rim liquid cleansing and/or freshening device useless) are now accommodated.
The removable extension plate also provides additional structure to the overall under the toilet rim liquid cleansing and/or freshening device thereby inducing a tilt (or downward inclination) to the wicking device when installed on certain toilets. This tilt improves the fluid delivery performance of the device when installed on a toilet.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide an improved device that can dispense quantities of cleaning and freshening toilet bowl treatment liquids from under the rim of a toilet bowl during a flush.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide an under the toilet rim liquid cleansing and/or freshening device that includes an extension plate that may be added to the device such that toilet flush water may be collected and directed over a wicking device regardless of the toilet configuration thereby effectively washing the cleaning and freshening liquids off the wicking device and into the toilet bowl.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide an under the toilet rim liquid cleansing and/or freshening device that includes an extension plate that may be added to the device such that the wicking device is inclined downwardly toward the inner wall of the toilet bowl when installed on the toilet rim thereby optimizing device performance.
It is still another advantage of the present invention to provide an under the toilet rim liquid cleansing and/or freshening device that includes an extension plate that may be added to the device such that the device may work effectively in the vast majority of toilets marketed worldwide.